Does the salary need to meet the standard again when transferring from a work permit to permanent residence? How to calculate 180 days of continuous residence?

Last week, a reader sent a message with a very urgent tone: The Skilled Worker visa he received in 2021 was counting the days until it was five years old, and he was excitedly preparing to apply for permanent residence. However, he was poured cold water on it by a sentence from HR - "Your current annual salary does not seem to be enough to meet the new threshold."

He always thought that once and for all, his salary would reach the standard on the day the visa was approved. Unfortunately not. There are two levels for transferring a work visa to permanent residence: the salary of must be re-checked on the day when the permanent residence is submitted, and the number of days of residence must be counted in a rolling 12-month period of . These two points are missed every year.

The salary threshold for converting work permit to permanent residence, why does it need to be recalculated on the day of application?

According to the current rules, when a Skilled Worker applies for permanent residence (ILR), the annual salary must meet two figures at the same time: the general threshold of £41,700 (applicable from July 22, 2025), and 100% of the going rate of your occupation code (SOC code) in the Appendix Skilled Occupation table, whichever is higher.

The key lies in the "time point of taking the value". This test looks at the current threshold and going rate at the moment you submitted your permanent residence application, not the old number when the CoS was issued. In other words, if you were fully compliant five years ago with a salary of £26,200, you may still fail to meet the standard five years later because the threshold is raised.

Medical care and some education positions have separate lower salary bottom lines (such as £31,300, £28,200, £25,000, etc.). Which bracket applies depends on the table corresponding to the occupation code and cannot be taken for granted.

Another reminder: the going rate is checked based on your actual SOC code. The job title has been changed within the company, but the code on the CoS has not changed. What you are looking at is still the code. Before applying for permanent residence, it is much easier to check the CoS, employment contract, and recent pay stub than to appeal afterward. 💼

Will £41,700 still rise? Keep an eye on this number in 2026

meeting. In the technical note on salary thresholds published by the government on 19 May 2026, the general threshold has been recalculated based on the latest round of National Income Survey data, and the resulting figure is significantly higher than £41,700. However, the technical description itself is not a law, and its actual effectiveness depends on the subsequent Immigration Rules Amendment Statement (Statement of Changes) and the effective date stated in it.

There is only one sentence that has practical significance for individuals: If you have been five years old and have all the materials, early delivery is more reliable than late delivery. The threshold adjustment usually takes effect for new applications from a specific date. If submitted one day later, the new number may be applicable.

As for the "earned settlement reform" that has been discussed for a long time, the public consultation ended on February 12, 2026. More than 200,000 responses were received, but the government's official response and final rules have not yet been implemented. ’s current 5-year work permit path and 10-year long-term residence path are still valid . Don’t be led away by the self-media’s “has been changed to ten years”. Everything is subject to the GOV.UK announcement.

How is continuous permanent residence counted? 180 days is a "rolling 12 months"

This is the most misunderstood one. The rule is not "no more than 180 days in each calendar year", but rather, within any rolling 12-month period in , the number of days away from the country must not exceed 180 days in .

To give a real and easy-to-step-down example: You return to China for 120 days in October 2024, and leave for another 90 days in March 2025. Looking at the years, it doesn't exceed it; but if you pull out the period "October 2024 to September 2025", it will be 210 days, which is exceeded. The auditor will use the day you submitted the application to move forward and check it paragraph by paragraph.

Business trips, family visits, and vacations will all be counted, unless there are exceptions - such as participation in international humanitarian or environmental crisis relief, travel interruption due to natural disasters, armed conflicts or epidemics, and compelling compelling compelling and compassionate circumstances. Exceptions must rely on evidence: Hospital certificates, airline cancellation notices, and local official announcements must be kept.

What circumstances will directly interrupt the continuous residence of permanent residence in the UK?

In addition to exceeding 180 days, these are more deadly and belong to the "return to zero" level: staying in the UK after the visa has expired (overstaying), being abroad when the original visa expired and failing to connect to a new visa in time, and serving time in jail due to a criminal conviction.

There is another common misunderstanding: the time of Graduate graduate visa cannot be counted into the five years of for Skilled Worker. After graduation, many students first use the two-year Graduate Transition, and then transfer to the work permit. Those two years are not counted in the timing of the permanent residence of the work permit, and must be counted from the work permit.

There are still half a year until permanent residence, three things you should do now

First, make a list of all entry and exit dates in the past five years and check yourself on a rolling 12-month basis. It is easy to make mistakes by manual calculation. Use the 永居计算器 APP to calculate the application date to the nearest day, and the number of days to leave the country will also be automatically compared on a rolling basis. Second, ask HR to confirm the current annual salary and SOC code, and compare it with the current threshold and going rate. Third, Life in the UK Test and B1 English exams are passed in advance, and you have to wait in line when exam seats are tight. ⏳

Five years is really not a short time. Don't let an uncounted ticket or a salary number that no one reminds you turn into six years.

[Data source] GOV.UK: Indefinite leave to remain (Skilled Worker) page; Immigration Rules Appendix Continuous Residence and Continuous residence caseworker guidance; Calculating salary thresholds technical note (May 19, 2026). This article is for reference only. Please consult a licensed attorney for specific questions.

💬 Chat in the comment area: How long was the longest time you spent abroad in the past five years? Did you worry about whether it would affect your permanent residence? You are also welcome to tell us how much the going rate corresponding to your SOC code has increased. If you find it useful, save this article and wait until a few months before submission, then take it out and review it one by one.

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